The Ondo State Police Command says it arrested 45 suspected armed robbers, kidnappers, cultists, murderers, rapists rescuing seven victims from kidnappers’ dens and recovering arms from them.
Commissioner of Police, Mr Undie Adie, said: “The command has tackled the criminals who made several attempts to kidnap or carry out robbery activities in the state. We have flushed out criminals terrorising the people. We have reduced crime to the minimum in Ondo State.
“We have done our very best with the support of the state government and good people of the state to prevent the commission of many crimes. We arrested some of the perpetrators and rescued victims. We have charged the suspects to court after proper investigation.
“The SARS operatives arrested 10 suspected armed robbers along Owo/Ore Expressway and raided their hideouts and recovered some arms and charms from them. They also arrested five suspected armed robbers at “B” Division, Owo. The suspects were engaged by the police between Ikare Junction, Owo and Ose area of Oba Akoko. The suspects stopped the motorcycle using guns and cutlasses to rob the victims.
“The anti-cultism squad commander, Olasunkanmi Owoloye, with his operatives arrested suspected cultists who abducted girls and raped them. The victims were later rescued. They recovered mobile phones and a jean jacket stolen from one of the victims. The culprits have been charged to court.
“Also, the squad arrested two suspects who specialised in defrauding members of the public of their money or goods. The suspects were obtaining goods and money from their unsuspecting victims and generating fake electronic money transfer alert on their own phones, which they showed to the victims as proof that they have paid for what they collected.
“Police detectives from Igbotako Division, Ondo State, arrested four suspected armed robbers from Bagudu. They were operating at Mile 49, Ore/Lagos Expressway, dispossessing commuters of their valuables and at the same time attempting to kidnap some of them.
“The police detectives engaged the hoodlums in a shoot out forcing the robbers to escape into the bush. The four suspects were arrested recovering one locally made single barrel gun, three GSM phones and one packet of cigarettes and N7,200. We have redeployed police detectives to all the flash areas in that axis.
“SARS operatives raided the black spots of criminals on Akoko/Ise Akoko Road, when information got to us that the criminals made attempts to carry out kidnapping that we have foiled. The vigilance group has been working with police detectives.
“Kidnapping has been drastically reduced as we have started raiding all the uncompleted buildings and given the criminals a strong fight to make sure that the kidnappers relocate from Ondo State. We have redeployed some police detectives to some strategic areas to make sure that the state is no go-area for criminals.